1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a projectile forming the head of a carrier, such as a missile, a carrier of this type possibly comprising a propulsion device and being provided with a system of fins or a guidance system so that it has a defined ballistic trajectory.
More precisely, the present invention pertains to a projectile containing sub-munitions which are released at a given moment on the trajectory of the carrier and are designed to reach an impact zone with a pre-defined shape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern weapons systems very often use the concept of the projectile known as the main projectile that carries sub-munitions (or sub-charges) which have to be distributed over large areas or volumes.
In prior art systems, no special precautions are usually taken to arrange the sub-munitions inside the projectile. This results in the random distribution and direction of the sub-munitions when released or, at least, in an appreciable loss of precision in their speed and attitude. As a result only a portion, sometimes a small portion, of the sub-munitions reaches the target zone with accuracy. Furthermore, a target zone with a pre-defined shape has to be swept very widely in order to be effectively covered. This is because of geometrical considerations which shall be described in greater detail further below. Consequently, a major portion of the sub-munitions is lost. This amounts to a loss of weight and place in the main projectile for a given rate of efficiency.